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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C0DE32.235B7020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit For the rest of the idiots out there who want to make something of this: -----Original Message----- From: Jarrod Jablonski [mailto:JJ@gu*.co*] Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 12:38 PM To: quest@gu*.co* Subject: Steve Berman I have gotten a rather consistent string of mails soliciting my opinion and been forwarded several mails from those with odd motivations. I was in no hurry to debate this issue for two primary reasons. First, Steve was a friend and a great person and secondly his tragic death seemed all too familiar. I preferred working through the personal issue of his passing to a semantics debate that I knew would be beat upon by other agendas. I expect, understand and appreciate desires to discuss this fatality. That is how people learn. I just decided to let others discuss this particular issue. Simply put I felt that I had little to add to what seemed pretty obvious and I prefer to mourn in private. As tragic as Steve's death remains the cause is relatively obvious. Steve ran out of gas as a result of any or several essentially irrelevant issues. He may have been distracted by the survey, by a new tunnel, by his focus to finish a map he had been working on for 15 years or any of several other issues. Alternatively he may have been delayed by a silt out, temporarily getting turned around, a line break . . . One may argue the details of such a delay ad infinitum but essentially the delay or error led to insufficient gas which led to his death. I am essentially certain that with a qualified dive buddy none of these things would have mattered. Reaching within 100feet of one's stage bottle indicates that all but the worst of buddies could have made the difference. My belief is that even without assistance the presence of a second person to monitor time and gas would have prevented any air related issue in the first place. Solo diving adds another layer of risk that can be difficult to manage in many situations. I am very familiar with managing risks and choosing which risks seem worth the reward. For me solo diving is not a risk worth the "reward". I think that Steve's extreme talent in the water and his many years of diving experience lend credence to the difficulty in managing solo diving and point to the issue of untenable risk for most individuals. The issues seem so clear as to make debate largely rhetorical. I have no real interest in such a debate but am happy to let others engage in what they find interesting or educational. Steve had nothing to do with the WKPP or with GUE. This is not spiteful, mean, or elusive. It is simply the case. I am lost as to why people find this such an interesting point. He had a liberal interpretation that separated him from our efforts and convictions. I always disagreed with him on this point but recognized and respected his right to make these choices as I do for all of you. To me this point and those that try to argue we are somehow hypocritical is spiteful, meaningless and barely worth these few words. We all make mistakes. Unfortunately a very good person made a mistake that was monumental with respect to his life, his friends, and the family he left behind. I will never forget him for the person that he was and I will always regret this loss. If anything this shores up my beliefs and convictions. There is little I would not do to erase the loss of such a good soul. As for my personal feeling for Steve as a human being I have attached the piece that I read at his funeral. Feel free to forward this mail anywhere confusion about this issue exists. Sincerely, JJ Steve Berman was one of the very first people that I met when coming to college here in 1987. Over the years our relationship varied from commiserating students and neighbors to dive buddies and friends. For five years I lived only 50� from Steve and for many reasons this period will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable of my life. I owe Steve for some of the joy, perspective, passion, and fun that has forever become part of my person. There were many aspects to Steve that were special but one of the most remarkable things was his ability to see what was important to people and to connect with them on this level. Literally hundreds of people around the world felt this powerful relation. This was just Steve�s nature and part of an innate kindness that was inseparable from him. Over the years both as neighbors and from a distance I watched Steve feed dozens of stray animals and repair hundreds of various items for an extremely diverse group of people. I watched him take hundreds of new divers on some of their first real cave dives, myself included. I watched him regularly and consistently sacrifice his personal time to help others and to bring a little more joy into their lives And then there was the prankster in Steve, the joyful child hidden not so carefully beneath the surface. I have hundreds of funny stories that I have told frequently over the years. It is amazing to me how many of these involve Steve. From the shooting of pesky home appliances to the array of pranks and jokes that were so natural to him I have many remembrances of his particular wit. I had so many memorable times with Steve that trying to discuss one seems almost empty but I will leave you with one of the more memorable. One day a gentleman that had rented a canoe for a trip on the river was rather late in returning. I remember him as a somewhat gruff military man with a quite wife and family. Prior to their departure we mentioned that they should be sure to travel upstream against the current and then enjoy the easier trip back to the launching. Just as we were closing the store I noticed some commotion out front. We went to investigate. The man was out front with his family and the police. He came over to me and started yelling about how irresponsible it was not to have informed him that THIS river did NOT travel in a circle. He was after all, as he informed me, a navigator in Desert Storm. He could tell this river should travel in a circle. He was insistent that the police do something. After some discussion with the police, a local officer came over and asked what we should do with this lunatic. Steve replied, "Lets give him an apology and a t-shirt." I have never seen such an unreasonable person be so easily pleased. That was one of the many things that Steve brought to this world. He was introverted and quite but playful and kind. He touched so many people around the world that I continue to get deeply saddened e-mails from people everywhere trying to cope with his absence. After such a tragic loss it is common for people to gather together and look for meaning. Many people will take this time to reevaluate their lives and their diving and I hope this will be a positive experience. Some of you may stop diving, others will alter their diving, and many others will try to enjoy each moment of life with even greater attention to its small pleasures. On several occasions I have been forced to think very hard about these issues due to the diving deaths of very good friends. However, I realized one very obvious thing. I knew these people, as I did Steve, BECAUSE of diving. In fact, most of the really good friends in my life, the people I care for the most, were made while diving. Despite the pain of these events I cannot separate these things. Were I not diving I would never have even known Steve or many of the other close friends I now have. In truth, nearly all of you knew Steve because of diving. If he were here he would ask why you were wasting so much time when you could be out diving or having fun. He would make some gruff and witty remark and go about his business. Steve would be very uncomfortable here. In fact, he likely would not have even shown up for such an event and at the very least he would have brought a book to distract him from the emotional stuff. I would say to you that to properly honor the person that you knew as Steve you should tip your head skyward and say Godspeed to you my friend. I will miss you dearly and do well by your memory but right now I am going diving. Jarrod Jablonski President- Global Underwater Explorers CEO Halcyon Manufacturing/Extreme Exposure GUE (www.gue.com) is a non-profit educational, research, and exploratory organization with hundreds of dedicated members around the world. Halcyon manufacturing (www.halcyon.net) and Extreme Exposure (www.extreme-exposure.com) produce some of the scuba industry's most novel and robust diving equipment designed by many of diving's most active explorers. ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C0DE32.235B7020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D4><SPAN = class=3D620265821-16052001>For=20 the rest of the idiots out there who want to make something of=20 this:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV align=3Dleft class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr><FONT = face=3DTahoma=20 size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Jarrod Jablonski=20 [mailto:JJ@gu*.co*]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, May 16, 2001 12:38=20 PM<BR><B>To:</B> quest@gu*.co*<BR><B>Subject:</B> Steve=20 Berman<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>I have gotten a rather consistent string of = mails=20 soliciting my opinion and been forwarded several mails from those with = odd=20 motivations. I was in no hurry to debate this issue for two primary = reasons.=20 First, Steve was a friend and a great person and secondly his tragic = death=20 seemed all too familiar. I preferred working through the personal = issue of his=20 passing to a semantics debate that I knew would be beat upon by other = agendas.=20 I expect, understand and appreciate desires to discuss this fatality. = That is=20 how people learn. I just decided to let others discuss this particular = issue.=20 Simply put I felt that I had little to add to what seemed pretty = obvious and I=20 prefer to mourn in private. <BR><BR>As tragic as Steve's death remains = the=20 cause is relatively obvious. Steve ran out of gas as a result of any = or=20 several essentially irrelevant issues. He may have been distracted by = the=20 survey, by a new tunnel, by his focus to finish a map he had been = working on=20 for 15 years or any of several other issues. Alternatively he may have = been=20 delayed by a silt out, temporarily getting turned around, a line break = .. . .=20 One may argue the details of such a delay ad infinitum but essentially = the=20 delay or error led to insufficient gas which led to his death. I am=20 essentially certain that with a qualified dive buddy none of these = things=20 would have mattered. Reaching within 100feet of one's stage bottle = indicates=20 that all but the worst of buddies could have made the difference. My = belief is=20 that even without assistance the presence of a second person to = monitor time=20 and gas would have prevented any air related issue in the first place. = <BR><BR>Solo diving adds another layer of risk that can be difficult = to manage=20 in many situations. I am very familiar with managing risks and = choosing which=20 risks seem worth the reward. For me solo diving is not a risk worth = the=20 "reward". I think that Steve's extreme talent in the water and his = many years=20 of diving experience lend credence to the difficulty in managing solo = diving=20 and point to the issue of untenable risk for most individuals. The = issues seem=20 so clear as to make debate largely rhetorical. I have no real interest = in such=20 a debate but am happy to let others engage in what they find = interesting or=20 educational. <BR><BR>Steve had nothing to do with the WKPP or with = GUE. This=20 is not spiteful, mean, or elusive. It is simply the case. I am lost as = to why=20 people find this such an interesting point. He had a liberal = interpretation=20 that separated him from our efforts and convictions. I always = disagreed with=20 him on this point but recognized and respected his right to make these = choices=20 as I do for all of you. To me this point and those that try to argue = we are=20 somehow hypocritical is spiteful, meaningless and barely worth these = few=20 words.<BR><BR>We all make mistakes. Unfortunately a very good person = made a=20 mistake that was monumental with respect to his life, his friends, and = the=20 family he left behind. I will never forget him for the person that he = was and=20 I will always regret this loss. If anything this shores up my beliefs = and=20 convictions. There is little I would not do to erase the loss of such = a good=20 soul. <BR><BR>As for my personal feeling for Steve as a human being I = have=20 attached the piece that I read at his funeral.<BR><BR>Feel free to = forward=20 this mail anywhere confusion about this issue exists.=20 <BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>JJ<BR><BR>Steve Berman was one of the very first = people=20 that I met when coming to college here in 1987. Over the years our=20 relationship varied from commiserating students and neighbors to dive = buddies=20 and friends. For five years I lived only 50’ from Steve and for = many reasons=20 this period will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable of my = life. I owe=20 Steve for some of the joy, perspective, passion, and fun that has = forever=20 become part of my person. <BR><BR><FONT face=3D"Arial, = Helvetica">There were=20 many aspects to Steve that were special but one of the most remarkable = things=20 was his ability to see what was important to people and to connect = with them=20 on this level. Literally hundreds of people around the world felt this = powerful relation. This was just Steve’s nature and part of an = innate kindness=20 that was inseparable from him. <BR><BR>Over the years both as = neighbors and=20 from a distance I watched Steve feed dozens of stray animals and = repair=20 hundreds of various items for an extremely diverse group of people. I = watched=20 him take hundreds of new divers on some of their first real cave = dives, myself=20 included. I watched him regularly and consistently sacrifice his = personal time=20 to help others and to bring a little more joy into their=20 lives<BR><BR></FONT>And then there was the prankster in Steve, the = joyful=20 child hidden not so carefully beneath the surface. I have hundreds of = funny=20 stories that I have told frequently over the years. It is amazing to = me how=20 many of these involve Steve. From the shooting of pesky home = appliances to the=20 array of pranks and jokes that were so natural to him I have many = remembrances=20 of his particular wit.<BR><BR>I had so many memorable times with Steve = that=20 trying to discuss one seems almost empty but I will leave you with one = of the=20 more memorable. One day a gentleman that had rented a canoe for a trip = on the=20 river was rather late in returning. I remember him as a somewhat = gruff=20 military man with a quite wife and family. Prior to their departure we = mentioned that they should be sure to travel upstream against the = current and=20 then enjoy the easier trip back to the launching. <BR><BR>Just as we = were=20 closing the store I noticed some commotion out front. We went to = investigate.=20 The man was out front with his family and the police. He came over to = me and=20 started yelling about how irresponsible it was not to have informed = him that=20 THIS river did NOT travel in a circle. He was after all, as he = informed=20 me, a navigator in Desert Storm. He could tell this river should = travel in a=20 circle. <BR><BR>He was insistent that the police do something. After = some=20 discussion with the police, a local officer came over and asked what = we should=20 do with this lunatic. Steve replied, "Lets give him an apology and a = t-shirt."=20 I have never seen such an unreasonable person be so easily pleased.=20 <BR><BR>That was one of the many things that Steve brought to this = world. He=20 was introverted and quite but playful and kind. He touched so many = people=20 around the world that I continue to get deeply saddened e-mails from = people=20 everywhere trying to cope with his absence.<BR><BR>After such a tragic = loss it=20 is common for people to gather together and look for meaning. Many = people will=20 take this time to reevaluate their lives and their diving and I hope = this will=20 be a positive experience. Some of you may stop diving, others will = alter their=20 diving, and many others will try to enjoy each moment of life with = even=20 greater attention to its small pleasures. <BR><BR>On several occasions = I have=20 been forced to think very hard about these issues due to the diving = deaths of=20 very good friends. However, I realized one very obvious thing. I knew = these=20 people, as I did Steve, BECAUSE of diving. In fact, most of the really = good=20 friends in my life, the people I care for the most, were made while = diving.=20 Despite the pain of these events I cannot separate these things. Were = I not=20 diving I would never have even known Steve or many of the other close = friends=20 I now have. <BR><BR>In truth, nearly all of you knew Steve because of = diving.=20 If he were here he would ask why you were wasting so much time when = you could=20 be out diving or having fun. He would make some gruff and witty remark = and go=20 about his business. <BR><BR>Steve would be very uncomfortable here. In = fact,=20 he likely would not have even shown up for such an event and at the = very least=20 he would have brought a book to distract him from the emotional stuff. = <BR><BR>I would say to you that to properly honor the person that you = knew as=20 Steve you should tip your head skyward and say Godspeed to you my = friend. I=20 will miss you dearly and do well by your memory but right now I am = going=20 diving.<BR><BR><BR><BR><X-SIGSEP> <P></X-SIGSEP>Jarrod Jablonski<BR><BR>President- <BR>Global Underwater = Explorers <BR>CEO Halcyon Manufacturing/Extreme Exposure <BR><BR>GUE = (<A=20 href=3D"http://www.gue.com/" eudora=3D"autourl">www</A>.gue.<A=20 href=3D"http://www.gue.com/" eudora=3D"autourl">com</A>) is a = non-profit=20 educational, research, and exploratory organization with hundreds of = dedicated=20 members around the world. <BR>Halcyon manufacturing (<A=20 href=3D"http://www.halcyon.net/" eudora=3D"autourl">www</A><A=20 href=3D"http://www.halcyon.net/" eudora=3D"autourl">.halcyon.net</A>) = and Extreme=20 Exposure (<A href=3D"http://www.extreme-exposure.com/"=20 eudora=3D"autourl">www</A>.extreme-exposure.<A=20 href=3D"http://www.extreme-exposure.com/" eudora=3D"autourl">com</A>) = produce some=20 of the scuba industry's most novel and robust diving equipment = designed by=20 many of diving's most active explorers.=20 <BR><BR><BR></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C0DE32.235B7020-- -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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